Gill-net.



s. J. Fox'.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 17, 191'1 *gmwnwf GILL NET.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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on oo ,u ,nogefooowgow Simon J. Fox

Inventor ByHz's dqttorney @afl/id @(0510 SIMON J. FOX, or BELLINGHAM,WASHINGTON, AssIGNon or ONE-HALF To DAVID E. LAIN, or BNLLINGHAM,WASHINGTON.

GILL-NET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1911.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Serial No. 638,904.

To all wiz-0m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, SIMON J. FOX, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Bellingham, in the county of Whatcom and State ofWashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGill-Nets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in gill nets in which, asordinarily made, one edge of a long narrow strip of web is secured to afloat line and the other edge is secured to a. lead line and, when inoperative position, said net is stretched across the current with thefloat line above and the lead line beneath the same. Vhen the net isproperly stretched and retained the current acts to hold it in a longsweeping curve with the web stretched tautin a slight curve between thefloat line and the lead line.

The objects of my invention are: to cause the web, when in operativeposition, to lie in a series of pockets; to accomplish this result in away which will permit the use of a plain web with meshes of uniformsize, and to use Such a construction that the localization of strains onthe web is unlikely. I attain these objects by the use of the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a section of my improved gill net when in operativeposition; Fig. 2 is a portion of a cross section of the same on the lineA B, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a cross section of Fig. 1 on th'e line C D.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.

More particularly: 1 is' the ioat line, sometimes called the cork line,on which the float-s l are strung at regular intervals.

2 is the lead line on which are strung the leads, or sinkers 5. For mypurpose I prefer to use the sinlrers in pairs, one pair being locatedopposite each float on the float line. These lines are sometimes calledstrengthening lines especially when not equipped with floats orsinlrers.

3 is the web, one edge of which is attached to iioat line 1 and theother edge of which is attached to lead line 2 in the usual manner.Although diiiicult to clearly show in the drawing it is customarytoattach the web to the float and lead lines with a fullness in the web.

6 and 7 are pairs of cross lines connecting the float line 1 to the leadline 2. Said pairs of cross lines are so attached that the web 3 liesbetween the lines of each pair, that is, between cross lines 6 and 7.These pairs of cross lines are shorter than the width of the web 3,which causes a fullness in the web. Now because the twine forming theweb 3 is carried in a diagonal direction between the lioat line and thelead line and between the pairs of cross lines 6 and 7, the fullness inthe web caused by the nearness of the float and lead lines, referred to,will cause the web to lie in a series of pockets 8, Fig. 2, between thefloat and lead lines and between the several pairs of cross lines whenthe net is in operative position in a current of water. Theintersections of said pockets with each other will be on those crosslines which are on the down stream side of the net and the bottom ofsaid pockets will protrude down current.

In Fig. 3, which is a vertical cross section of one of the pockets 48,the full lines indicate the position of the pocket when the cross line 7is on the down stream side and is supporting the web 3. But when thecross line 6 is on the down stream side of t-he web 8 the pocketoccupies the position indicated in dotted Outline at 8', cross line 6 isthen carried to its dotted position 6 and cross line 7 substantially todotted position 7.

With the described construction it is evident that, in case morepressure is exerted in one pocket than another-as for instance by astruggling lsh enmeshed therein-this pressure will draw over some of theweb from the neighboring pockets and permit this pocket to be enlarged.The opportunity for local expansion thus afforded is' sufficient to makeit impossible for the struggling fish to throw a great strain on anyparticular part of the web. This method of causing the web to lie inpockets -is especially applicable to gill nets; since a plain web isentirely suited for the purpose; therefore the meshes are of uniformsize, which is essential for this type of net.

In gill nets of the usual width the cross lines referred to aresufficient to fully accomplish the objects of my invention. But when thegill net is very narrow I use spreaders of inflexible material, one ofwhich is shown at 9, to retain the fioat and lead lines at a fixeddistance apart where attached. Fewer of these spreaders are howeverrequired than of the cross lines. I have found'one spreader sufficientfor about fifty linear feet of net, while I prefer a suflicient numberof pairs of cross lines so that their distance apart is substantiallythe same as their length.

In using the ordinary gill net it is found that many fish will, onreaching the web, turn to one side and swim along the net until one endis reached where they will escape. But, my improvement, when applied tothe ordinary gill net, instead of presenting a practically plain frontto the iish, as is done by the ordinary gill net alone, presents aseries of pockets as described, any one of which on being entered by afish will require him to either back out or turn quite squarely aroimdin order to escape. These movements are however contrary to the habitsof the fish, which in such a case is more likely to attempt to force away through a mesh and be gilled therein.

I am aware that it is old to make a gill net by attaching a float lineto one edge of a narrow strip of web and a lead line to the other edgeof the same. I am also aware that it is old to construct the web of anet of meshes of varying size so that intersecting strands or meshes atregularly spaced distances are sufliciently shorter and smaller to causea fullness between these places and thus the web will lie in pocketsbetween y these shorter strands. But I believe myself to be the first toconnect the float line and lead line of a plain web with pairs of crosslines so short that the web will lie in pockets between said crosslines.

Therefore, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. In a gill net the combination of a float line; a lead line; a stripof plain web having meshes of practically uniform size, said float linebeing connected to one edge of said strip of web and said lead linebeing connected to the other edge of said web; and means connecting saidfloat line with said lead line at spaced distances, being adapted toretain said float line nearer said lead line than the width of saidstrip of web, and being further adapted to support said web and permitthe same to freely pass over said means.

2. In a gill net comprising a strip of web with a ioat line attachedalong one edge of said web and a lead line attached along the other edgeof said web, the combination of said gill net and cross lines connectingsaid float line with said lead line at spaced distances, said crosslines being adapted to maintain said float line nearer said lead linethan the width of said web, to support said web, and to permit said webto freely move over the same.

3. In a gill net comprising a strip of web with a oat line attachedalong one edge of said web and a lead line attached along the other edgeof said web, the combination of said gill net and pairs of cross linesconnecting said float line with said lead line at spaced distances, saidweb lying between the lines of each of said pairs and being adapted tomove over the same, and said pairs of lines being shorter than the widthof said web.

4. In a gill net comprising a strip of web with a float line attachedalong one edge of said web and a lead line attached along the other edgeof tion of said gill net; pairs of cross lines connecting said floatline with said lead line at spaced distances, said web lying between thelines of each of said pairs and being adapted to move over the same, andsaid pairs of lines being shorter than the width of said web; and aplurality of iniiexible spreaders, of practically the same length assaid cross lines, attached to said float and lead lines and beingadapted to retain portions of said lead line at a fixed distance fromportions of said float line.

5. In a gill net comprising a strip of web having a strengthening lineattached along each edge of the same, the combination of said net and aplurality of pairs of cross lines, said pairs of cross lines beingadapted to connect said strengthening lines at spaced intervals andretain the same in nearer proximity than the width of said web and beingfurther adapted to retain said web between the individual members ofeach of said pairs of cross lines and permit said web to freely moveover said cross lines.

6. In a gill net comprising a strip of web having a strengthening lineattached along each edge of the same, the Vcombination of said net; aplurality of pairs of cross lines, said pairs of cross lines beingadapted to connect said strengthening lines at spaced intervals andretain the same in nearer proximity than the width of said web and beingfurther adapted to retain said web between the individual members ofeach of said pairs of cross lines and permit said web to freely moveover said cross lines; and a said web, the combinaplurality ofinflexible spreaders connected to said strengthening lines being ofsubstantially the same length as said cross lines and being adapted toprevent the nearer approach of said strengthening lines at the points ofattachment.

Signed at Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

Bellingham in the county of Whatcom and State of Washington this seventhday of July A. D. 1911.

SIMON J. FCX.

Witnesses:

R. S. SIMPSON, SADIE E. HAGLER.

